Voting began across 152 constituencies in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections on Thursday, April 23, amid unprecedented security arrangements and a high-stakes battle that could shape the direction of the entire contest.

Polling for the much-anticipated election started at 7 am with voters queueing up outside booths in districts ranging from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri in the north to Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly in the south.